


Our Sun is All But Set

by irishavalon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Loki's pronouns are they/them, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Reunions, implied Sam Wilson/Natasha Romanoff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 23:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14555541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irishavalon/pseuds/irishavalon
Summary: **WARNING: INFINITY WAR SPOILERS BELOW*****"The fight is over for now, and in the quiet that comes with no longer hitting things with Stormbreaker, Thor has time to think again. He walks over to the window, his mind busy with memories of death, the scent of destruction, the sound of the life being choked out of Loki’s lungs.The sun is setting over the Wakandan plain. 'I assure you, brother. The sun will shine on us again.'The light hurts Thor’s eyes. Or perhaps it is tears that prick the back of his eyes. He squeezes them shut and bows his head."





	Our Sun is All But Set

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I've written another fix-it fic because I am still destroyed by Infinity War.  
> A Few Things:  
> 1\. I know Valkyrie's real name is Brunnhilde, but I just call her Valkyrie in this fic.  
> 2\. I also heard Valkyrie and Korg took half of the survivors away from the ship when Thanos attacked, but putting them on a supply run was just easier for this fic.  
> 3\. The title is a lyric from the song, Two Hands, by Passenger

The forest, the battlefield, the palace are deadly silent. Everyone is numb, shocked. Half of the world has been diminished to ash in an instant, taking with them many of their allies. Thanos steps backward into a portal conjured by the stones, vanishing from the destruction he’s caused.

Rhodes is calling for Wilson, Steve crouches beside the pile of ashes and gun that once belonged to his best friend, Okoye approaches with the news that the King is gone. The exhausted, mourning, beaten Avengers and Wakandan warriors make their way back to the city.

In the quiet of the aftermath, Thor misses Loki.

He hasn’t had the time to grieve for his loss since the moments before the rabbit’s pod landed on Nidavellir, and that hadn’t been enough time. Loki is gone for good now; Thor can feel it in his bones. He knows his sibling has faked their death before, but this time feels different. And Thanos made sure Loki was gone, had even said as much. Thor smothers the whisper in the back of his mind that Loki has somehow survived, knowing it is just a dying hope.

He follows the others back into the palace, where a teenage girl comes running towards the warrior named Okoye, demanding to know where her brother is. “The guards! They just turned to ash! What’s happened, Okoye? Where is T’Challa?”

Okoye shakes her head, and Thor fights the need to turn away. The anguish on the girl’s face is a pain he knows well, and his very nerves ache with it. Instead of running from the grief in her eyes, he steps towards her. “You are the king’s sister?” he asks.

She swallows and nods. Thor nods respectfully in return. “I am Thor, and I am sorry for your loss, Princess.”

She frowns and cocks her head. “Thor? Like the Norse god?” she asks.

“More of an alien than a god, but yes,” Banner volunteers. He glances at Thor before looking back at the princess. “Thanos killed his brother, too.” he adds quietly.

Shuri looks back up at Thor, chin trembling for just a moment before she sets her jaw. When she speaks, her voice is steady, and she addresses the group. “It seems we have all lost much today. You are all welcome to stay in Wakanda for as long as you need to regroup. I thank you for the sacrifices you have made to protect my people and the world.”

She looks at Rogers, forehead wrinkling in what Thor perceives is an unspoken question. When Steve swallows and looks away, her face falls, and she seems to get her answer. “I am so sorry, Captain,” she murmurs.

“I’m sorry, too.” Rogers replies.

The others don’t speak, merely numbly and silently follow Rogers and Shuri into another room. Rhodes drops immediately onto the nearest couch, and Rocket hoists himself onto the arm of the sofa with a heavy sigh. Rhodes eyes him before looking at the others.

“What do we do now?” Rhodes asks.

No one answers for a moment. “We regroup, we come up with a new plan, and we fight again.”

“Again? That alien asshole just _decimated_ half the planet, Cap! And you’re suggesting we just keep fighting?” Rhodes demands.

“It’s what we do.” Cap replies soberly. “We’ll have to contact Clint and Scott, see if they’re still alive. And find out… find out where Tony is. And the kid--what was his name?”

“Spider-Man?” Rhodes asks. “Parker. Peter. I’ll bet wherever we find Tony we find the kid.”

“I can speak for the rest of my team,” Rocket speaks up. “They want this lunatic gone as much as you idiots do. Count us in.”

Steve nods to him, still looking a little blindsided by the talking animal.

“We re-assemble, and we find a way to blow that alien tyrant to Hell.” Steve says. “And if we can, we bring back half of the universe.”

Thor lets them talk. The fight is over for now, and in the quiet that comes with no longer hitting things with Stormbreaker, Thor has time to think again. He walks over to the window, his mind busy with memories of death, the scent of destruction, the sound of the life being choked out of Loki’s lungs.

The sun is setting over the Wakandan plain. _I assure you, brother. The sun will shine on us again._

The light hurts Thor’s eyes. Or perhaps it is tears that prick the back of his eyes. He squeezes them shut and bows his head.

He feels someone step beside him. The person is quiet for a long moment, just breathing by his side. Reminding him that there are people still alive in the universe, even if so many are not, even if so many of those he loves, so many of those are his people. When the person speaks, Thor finds he is not surprised who it is.

“I know this is a stupid question, but how are you doing?” Bruce asks.

Thor huffs out a laugh, but it’s soft and carries no mirth. He opens his mouth, but his voice catches in his throat. The itching behind his eyes eases, and tears fill his sight when he finally opens his eyes. The horizon beyond the window wavers, watery. He swallows dryly, and when he can finally speak, his voice is dull, emotionless.

“I’m falling apart, Banner.” he admits quietly, trying to blink away the tears that threaten to fall. “I’ve lost everything. I traveled half the known universe, I harnessed the energy of a _dying star_ , all to seek revenge against Thanos, and for what? I’ve failed. The titan lives, and we don’t even know where he is. Heimdall, my people, Loki…. They’re all gone, and their killer survives still.”

“I know.” Banner murmurs. There’s a moment of silence, stillness, and then Thor feels Bruce’s hand on his back, patting gently. The touch is so sympathetic, so kind, that Thor lets out a messy breath. “We’ll find him, Thor. We’ll stop him. All of your efforts will pay off.”

Thor doesn’t respond. He continues to stare out of the window at the sinking sun, the darkening earth. Another day without his sibling. Another day Loki lies dead while the power-hungry titan lives.

“Can I… can I ask you something?” Bruce asks. Thor nods. “Have you, um, heard from Valkyrie by any chance? Is she safe? And Korg, and Miek, too, I mean.”

Thor glances at him; Banner doesn’t meet his gaze, wringing his hands nervously and staring out at the landscape without really seeing it. “No, I haven’t heard from her. Or Korg or Miek. But I’m sure they’re fine.” He adds quickly when Banner looks distressed. “Look, they were away from the Statesman when Thanos attacked. And anyway, Valkyrie can take care of herself. She’s tough.”

Bruce stares hard out of the window for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. She’s fine. I mean, they’re fine.”

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Two days later, and they’re no closer to a plan, no closer to finding out where Thanos is. Clint and some Midgardian calling himself Ant-Man are still alive, and they have been video-chatting with the others on and off since making contact. The rest of them are still in Wakanda, trying to find a way through the thick dullness that is their grief and the loss of the battle.

And then Steve walks into the room that’s become the team’s base with someone in tow. Thor glances at the woman and recognizes her as Pepper Potts, Tony’s girlfriend (or fiance, his teammates have informed him). Steve seems to have called her so everyone can be in one place when they finally hear from Stark. Thor remembers bragging about Jane to Tony, who tried to one-up him with boasts about Pepper. It seems like a lifetime ago.

At long last, they receive word from Tony as he enters Earth’s orbit and comes within range to make contact. They meet his ship on the Wakandan plain as he lands. Bruce, Steve, Thor, and Pepper all head out to meet him, and Rocket, realizing Tony has somehow boarded his ship, joins them as well. He’s chattering about ripping Quill a new one when he sees him, oblivious to the tension in the others as they approach the ship.

When the door opens, Tony is the first to stagger out. He looks terrible: cuts and burns covering his face, clothing in tatters and suit falling apart. And his eyes; Thor has seen those same deadened, haunted eyes reflected back at him in everyone over the last two days, even in mirrors. Something has happened, and Thor dreads hearing about it.

Pepper approaches him first, pulling Tony into her arms. Tony clings to her like a life preserver, and Thor sees tears begin to track clean paths down his filthy cheeks. Pepper holds him and murmurs words of comfort that don’t seem to help.

Rocket runs towards the door of the spaceship. “Quill!” He calls. “Drax! Gamora! Mantis!” When no one answers or appears, he tries again. And then a third time, sounding more desperate. And then a blue woman Thor has never seen before exits the ship instead. “Nebula?” Rocket says, cocking his head in confusion.

The woman looks at him for a long moment before speaking. When she does, her voice is broken and hopeless. “They’re gone, Rocket. All of them.”

Thor watches as Rocket sags in defeat. All of his friends, all of his family, all are gone. Thor understands his grief. He takes a step toward the rabbit, but Rocket runs past the woman into the ship. Thor fears for a moment that he will take off, leaving them with one less ally. But the ship does not roar to life, does not lift off the ground, does not disappear from sight into the atmosphere. Perhaps Rocket just needs a moment alone; Thor respects that. He turns back to his friends.

Tony has finally pulled away from Pepper, but he still clings to her hand. He looks from Bruce to Thor. He nods once in acknowledgement, a gesture Thor returns. And then Tony’s gaze falls on Steve.

Banner filled him in yesterday on his understanding of the argument that had split the team up in their absence. Thor still doesn’t entirely understand how the disagreement became so heated.

“Tony.” Steve speaks first.

Tony stares at him for a long moment, as though he can’t quite believe his eyes. “Steve,” He says. He glances away from Rogers self-consciously before looking back at him again. “I’m glad that thick-headed asshat didn’t wipe you from existence.”

Cap gives Stark a small smile. “Likewise,” he says. Then, gently, like he thinks Tony will break if he doesn’t speak softly, he adds, “Tony, what happened?”

Stark’s face crumples as he takes a shuddering breath. Pepper reaches out her other hand, the one not holding Tony’s, and wraps it around Tony’s arm as he starts to shake.

“He took my kid.” Tony says. “Peter, he… he’s gone. Turned to ash like everyone else Thanos took.”

Thor watches Steve turn pale. He never met the boy, but Rogers told him and Bruce about Spider-Man, the sixteen-year-old kid Tony had recruited for the fight and then helped to train as a future Avenger. One look at Tony’s face and Thor knows it wasn’t just a working relationship, wasn’t just a mentorship.

“I’m so sorry, Tony,” Steve whispers. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Yeah, well.” Tony shrugs and sniffs. “I’m sorry, too. Can we maybe, y’know, table our little tiff for the time being?”

Steve takes another step forward. “Yes, of course,” he says, his voice still quiet.

Tony lets go of Pepper’s hand to close the distance between him and Steve. They stare each other down, looking more fragile than Iron Man and Captain America ever have. Steve reaches out first, and then Tony is pulling the other Avenger into a tight hug.

“We’re going to find him, Tony,” Steve says. “We’re going to find Thanos, and we’re going to destroy the gauntlet, and we’re going to kill him.”

“Good,” Tony says, pulling away at last and taking Pepper’s hand again. “You can count me in.”

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Thor?”

Thor looks up to see Romanoff standing in the doorway. “Yeah?”

“Do you know a spaceship called the Commodore?”

Thor leaps to his feet. “Yes, why?”

“You may want to come look at this.” she says, and then walks out of the room again. Thor follows immediately, and she leads him to the lab, where Shuri has set up a radar and communications center. It still seems to be turned on, despite the fact that Tony came back yesterday.

“It’s still on?” he asks the room at large.

“Bruce asked us to keep it running, just in case,” Nat explains. “I think ‘just in case’ has made contact.” She gestures to the headphones. Thor hesitates for just a moment, scarcely believing what he is hearing. He glances at the radar, and sees a blip just outside of Earth. Slowly, he picks up the headphones, and almost whoops with joy when he hears the voice on the other end.

“This is the Commodore, requesting entry into your atmosphere. We come from Asgard, looking for the king. I repeat, this is--”

“Valkyrie!” Thor shouts into the microphone.

“Thor?”

Thor laughs out loud, pressing the headphones as close to his ear as he can. Beside him, Romanoff smiles. For the first time in many days, he is filled with joy. “You’re alive! Are Korg and Miek still with you?”

“You don’t think I can keep a rock-man and an insect alive for two weeks?” she says, managing to sound both mock-offended and relieved at the same time. “You seriously underestimate my abilities, Lord of Thunder. Did you manage to keep your ‘beast’ alive?”

“Banner is fine. I’ll explain everything when you land. I’m going to hand you over to someone with the coordinates, all right? I’ll see you soon.”

Thor hands the headphones over to the Wakandan working the machines, looks at Nat again with a grin splitting his face, and strides out of the room, yelling for Bruce at the top of his lungs.

Bruce is panting at the foot of the stairs in the entryway when Thor comes up from the lab. “What,” he starts, but has to stop and catch his breath for another moment before continuing. “What the hell, man? What happened? Is Thanos back?” Then Banner takes in Thor’s wide grin and seems to relax.

“No, no, everything is fine. Everything is great. Three more allies are about to land,” Thor says, and has to stop speaking because a bubble of joyous, relieved laughter explodes out of him.

Bruce catches on quickly, and he straightens a little. “You mean…?”

Thor nods. “Valkyrie is alive. And Korg and Miek, too.”

And then Bruce returns Thor’s smile, and Thor grabs his arm and drags him out to the plains beyond the city.

It’s not Loki, it’s not Heimdall, but it’s so much more than Thor expected to be returned to him, and he can’t help but be grateful for this small blessing fate has bestowed upon him.

The ship lands, and Valkyrie is the first one out of the doors. Korg and Miek are close behind her. “Hello, boys,” Valkyrie says, looking at Thor and Bruce. Her arms are folded, as though she expected to reunite with them and wasn’t worried for a moment, but Thor sees the relief he feels reflected in her eyes and she smiles.

Thor thinks they’ll stand there forever, just a Kronan, a Sakaarian, two Asgardians, and a human, staring at each other until the world ends. And then Bruce takes a step forward, and then another, and then he’s pulling Valkyrie into his arms. It’s a show of sentiment Thor is not sure Valkyrie is capable of, but after a moment of surprise, she hugs him back. After that, Thor can’t stop himself from moving forward and wrapping his arms around both of them. He feels Korg and Miek join in the hug, and he doesn’t care how absurd he’s sure this looks, two age-old Asgardians and three adults -- human and alien -- in a group hug for too long. His friends are back, and for the first time since Thanos descended upon the Statesman, Thor thinks that maybe things will work out.

When he and Banner lead the others back to the palace, the rest of the Avengers are waiting for them. They introduce the team to Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek.

“I think we have a team,” Rogers says with a smile.

“And we have a plan,” Stark informs them.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They manage to track Thanos and lure him back to Earth for one final battle. It’s chaos, as it was the last time. The differences between now and then are startling: Barnes, Wilson, T’Challa, and countless others are missing, but now Stark, Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek are here. Clint and Scott are fighting, too.

They’ve been fighting for what must be hours, and do not seem to have made much progress. Banner still can’t get Hulk to cooperate, and he seems to have tried everything.

Thor has cut down countless aliens with Stormbreaker, but innumerable reinforcements take their places.

Thor wonders how long his friends can hold out; most of them are only humans, after all. And that’s when he hears it.

“ANGRY GIRL!”

Thor hears a very Hulk-like roar behind him, and turns briefly. Thanos holds the Valkyrie up by the throat, choking her. _No, not again_.

“ _This_ is what gets you out?” Banner shouts, and Thor glances over again. He’s looking greener than he has since crash landing on earth. “All right, buddy, let’s kick some titan a--!” The rest of his sentence morphs into an earth-shaking roar as the Hulk overtakes Bruce and he grows tall and menacing above the battlefield.

Thor lets up a cheer as Hulk smashes into Thanos. The Mad Titan drops Valkyrie as he is bowled over. Valkyrie pants and chokes on the ground where she’s dropped. “Are you all right?” Thor calls over to her, finally striking his opponent down with one last lightning burst that sends the alien crumpling to the ground, a blackened and smoldering corpse. Valkyrie nods, still breathing laboriously.

Hulk pummels Thanos’ head over and over and over. Thanos is stunned, and all he can do is lie on the ground and take the battery from a very pissed Hulk. The titan’s arms are spread out on the forest floor, the gauntlet glinting in the sunlight. Thor dives for the gauntlet and digs his fingers between the metal and the muscular, purple hand it holds. He pulls and the gauntlet does not budge. Hulk continues to hammer at Thanos as Thor heaves at the glove. Out of the corner of his eye, Thor sees the titan’s followers descending on all sides.

“Rogers! Romanoff!” he calls out to the closest Avengers he can see. “Cover me, I’m going to get this thing off!” Cap and Black Widow fall in, fighting off the aliens that try to come to their leader’s aid. Thor yells through the strain as he hauls at the gauntlet, and finally he pulls it off. He scrambles backwards, out of reach of Thanos, should he find the strength to throw Hulk off.

And then Tony swoops in, abandoning his post as Eyes in the Sky. He shoots his blaster at the side of Thanos’s head. Thanos grunts, but it could be from the blast or the punch from Hulk that collides with his jaw a second later. The solitary blast does not do much damage, but Tony has both hands up and ready. “Hulk, buddy,” Tony says, glancing up at Hulk.

Hulk does not let up from his attack on Thanos, but meets Tony’s gaze. “Let me have this,” Tony says, and his voice sounds breathless in the comm device in Thor’s ear. “Please.” Hulk looks from him, to Thanos, to Valkyrie (slowly starting to get up), and back to Tony. Then, he nods, and moves his fists and gaze to Thanos’s barely healed chest, out of the way of Tony’s blasters.

“Thor, as soon as he’s gone, you bring them back, got it?” Tony calls through the comm.

“I’ll be ready, Stark!” Thor says back. And then Tony blasts Thanos again.

“This is for my kid.” Tony yells, and blasts Thanos twice, hard. “This is for T’Challa.” Blast. “This is for Vision and Wanda.” Blast. “This is for Quill and Strange and Sam and Barnes.” A blast for each name as he calls it out. “And this is for everyone you wiped from existence.” Four blasts, each one more powerful than the last. “And this, you purple, psychotic bag of dicks, is for you.” Hulk continues to pummel Thanos as he cries out and tries to move away, while Tony charges up his blaster. When he finally lets loose, it is like the blast of a dying star, straight to the side of Thanos’s head, which is blasted clean off. When the blinding light of the blast fades away, all that is left of the mad titan’s skull is a shrunken, black, smoking sphere twenty feet away.

Rogers swears. Rhodes, watching overhead, lets out a low whistle over the comm. Hulk shouts in triumph. Thor watches the scene, mouth open. It takes a lot to shock a god, especially one who controls lightning, but this… the damage done by this mortal is awe-inspiring.

“Thor, now! Do it now!” Tony shouts, pulling Thor back to the task at hand. Thor shuts his eyes tight, pulling the gauntlet over his hand. The incredible feeling of power, of control over the whole of the cosmos, is enough to get even an Asgardian drunk on the thrill. But Thor doesn’t give the stones time to tempt him; he knows his mission.

_Bring them back. Bring back the people Thanos took. Bring back the ones the titan killed to control the universe. The ones he stole without any right to their lives. Bring them back._

Thor focuses all of his brain power on this desire, pushing away the whispers of _power, control, king of all_ that the stones use to try to sway his will. Thor snaps his fingers.

Silence falls over the entire battlefield.

Thor knows there is silence all over the universe.

Thor’s hand burns as if it is on fire, as if he plunged his hand into a star.

And then--

“Groot!”

Thor opens his eyes. The gauntlet is shattered beyond repair. The mind stone remains stubbornly in its place on the glove, but the other stones have dropped silently to the grass at Thor’s feet. He looks around, hardly daring to breathe.

The teenage tree stands across the clearing. Thor sees the moment Rocket reaches his friend and wraps his small arms around Groot.

“I am Groot,” Groot says, voice cracking. He smiles, hugging Rocket back. Thor smiles and bends to pick up the fallen stones.

“Bucky!”

“Steve! What the hell just--” The metal-armed soldier Thor has never seen before does not get a chance to finish his sentence, because Cap launches himself into Barnes’ arms, kissing every inch of his face. Steve never said just how close he and the ‘White Wolf’ were, but Thor had assumed as much in the week since half the universe had been turned to ash.

Tony stares down at the beheaded corpse of Thanos, silently begging something, anything out there. _Please, please, please._

“Mr. Stark!”

Tony lets out a messy breath. “Thank God!” He gasps. He turns and opens his mask.

Peter Parker comes flying out of nowhere, and Tony doesn’t think he’s ever been more relieved in his life. Maybe when Pepper walked out of that chaotic fire in one piece looking like the badass she is, but this is a very close second.

Tony can only take a step forward and open his arms before Peter crashes into him at full speed and practically wraps himself around the hero. Tony’s stomach swoops for a moment; Peter is clinging to him like he did before disintegrating into dust. But then Peter is sobbing, and Tony can feel the tears falling down his own face. Peter is in his arms and breathing and so, so, so _alive_. And Tony pushes the unnecessary panic away in favor of holding Peter tightly.

“You’re okay, you’re okay. I’ve got you, you’re okay.” he whispers, squeezing tighter to convince himself that this is real, that Peter is actually alive.

Meanwhile, Strange appears to Thor’s right. Thor is staring down at the Infinity Stones in his hands. He plucks the mind stone out of the gauntlet and lets the cursed glove fall to the ground.

“We should destroy these, don’t you think?” Thor asks, glancing up at the wizard.

“Most of them, perhaps,” Strange says. “It is my responsibility to guard the time stone, however. I would like it back. I will keep it safe.” He gestures to the pendant, restored to his neck.

Thor nods once, and carefully hands Strange the emerald stone, which the doctor replaces in the pendant.

“Quill!” Rocket shouts again, and Thor looks up in time to see the rabbit take off on all fours towards the man that just appeared. Despite all the bickering Thor observed on their ship, Rocket and Quill appear to be relieved to see each other. Rocket leaps at Quill, wrapping his short arms around Quill’s neck. Quill hugs him back.

“If you do that again, Quill, I will fucking kill you.” Rocket says, but he’s in tears, and Quill is in tears, and the other Guardians are appearing around them now, joining almost immediately in the hug. Gamora, too, appears shortly after the others. Quill doesn’t notice her at first, but then Nebula shrieks and throws herself at Gamora. The others turn, and Thor watches as all of them start yelling and cheering and piling around Gamora. Rocket drops out of Quill’s arms as the two join the others.

Quill and Gamora meet in the middle of the crush of Guardians, hands cradling each other’s faces.

Thor only looks away when the pain in his chest becomes unbearable. He finds Wanda to his left. She lets out a sob and drops to her knees; Thor follows her gaze and his stomach drops to the ground, too. Vision, body gray in death, lies still at their feet.

“No! No, no, no,” Wanda gasps.

“Wanda.” Thor says, and he says her name again when she doesn’t answer. He kneels down beside her and hands her the mind stone. “Perhaps there’s still time. Do you think you can do it?”

“I...Maybe.” She uses her magic to take the mind stone and float it back to the notch in Vision’s forehead. “Please.” she murmurs, so quietly that Thor doesn’t think he’s supposed to hear her.

For a moment, nothing happens. And then, slowly, Vision’s face begins to redden. His suit and cape slowly regain their coloring, as well. Another moment, and then Vision inhales deeply and his eyes open. Wanda’s hands fly to her mouth and she starts sobbing anew.

“Wanda?” Vision says, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. He reaches out to her, and she falls against him, clutching desperately at him. He holds her tightly, whispering reassurances into her hair and kissing her wet cheeks.

The ache in Thor’s chest at their reunion almost takes his breath away. He stands, the remaining stones in his hands, and moves away to give them some time. Thanos is dead; there is more than enough time for Wanda to destroy the other stones. He spots King T’Challa speaking to Okoye; she seems to be giving him a report on the nation, someone named Nakia, and his sister, Shuri.

He is grateful to see his friends again. He is happy that his friends are reunited with their families and loved ones. He’s still relieved that Valkyrie and Korg and Miek survived. Yet his heart still aches for everyone he’s left behind. He still yearns to see Loki again, to hear his sibling’s voice, to feel Loki’s strong presence by his side. Perhaps the stones could not bring back someone taken without the use of the stones.

“ANGRY GIRL.”

Thor turns his head to see Hulk stomping towards Valkyrie. She seems to be breathing normally now, but she rubs her neck and grimaces a little. “ANGRY GIRL OKAY?”

Valkyrie smiles. “Yeah, Hulk. I’m okay.” Hulk gently places his hand on her shoulder and smiles back. “Do you mind if I talk to the little guy?” she asks. Hulk nods shortly, and then begins to pale and shrink until Banner stands in front of Valkyrie.

Bruce looks a little shell-shocked, the way he usually does after a stint as the Hulk. His eyes widen when he focuses on Valkyrie. “Valkyrie?” He gasps, his voice hoarse. “Are you all right?”

Valkyrie’s smile widens. She exhales in what might be a small laugh as she watches Bruce. “Yes. Yes, I’m okay.”

Thor watches them. He doesn’t see who moves first, but suddenly Valkyrie and Banner are locked in one of the gentlest kisses Thor has ever seen. He wonders why he is surprised by this turn of events. He looks for Romanoff, because he knows something was going on between her and Bruce two years ago. When he spots her, she is talking with Cap, Barnes, and Wilson. She and Sam stand so close, Thor wonders. As Thor watches, she glances over at Bruce and Valkyrie. Nat smiles, and Thor only sees her profile, but he cannot detect any regret or jealousy in her expression. And then Wilson wraps his arm around her shoulders, and Nat does not move away. Thor supposes a lot has changed in two years.

A lot has changed for him.

In the quiet of the aftermath, Thor misses Loki.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Loki awakens with a gasp. They sit up, staring around them with wide eyes. The world spins before them for a moment before steadying. This is not where they were when last they remember. They remember the cold, metal floor in the bowels of the Statesman, remember cold, heartless hands squeezing the life out of them, remember Thor’s muffled screams as the titan drops them like so much trash.

_Thor._

Loki’s heart stutters as their head turns from side to side. Where is he? Where is their brother? Had all their efforts been for naught? Did the mad titan--?

Leaves rustle calmly overhead. Slowly, Loki forces themself to fight past the panic rising like bile in their throat, and they look around, more slowly this time, taking in their surroundings. They seem to be in a clearing in a forest. Trees rise high into the sky all around them, and Loki hears birdsong. It smells like Midgard. Why are they on Midgard?

They hear voices, joyful voices, somewhere around them. They stand on slightly shaky legs, and move slowly to follow the sound of the voices. Gradually the treeline thins a bit, and they see movement in the distance between the trunks. They stop here, watching from the shelter of the more dense forest. This is Midgard, and they are well aware the people of Midgard would not take kindly to their sudden appearance. Especially not as they peek around the trees and catch sight of the Man of Iron and Captain America. Although they seem preoccupied, Stark hugging a kid in a blue and red suit and Rogers kissing a man with a metal arm, they don’t particularly enjoy the possibility of being blasted into oblivion. At least not until they gauge where Thor is and how to get to him.

And then Thor steps into view. Loki smothers the urge to cry out in relief. He looks battle-worn and filthy, and there’s something in his eyes (eyes? _Plural?_ That’s new.) that looks like grief. Loki wants that look off their brother immediately. But how can they get Thor’s attention without drawing the eyes (and the weapons) of the other humans?

_One time when we were children, they transformed into a snake, and they know I love snakes..._

That’ll work. If the plan goes south Loki can always just stab him again. Win-win. Loki closes their eyes and feels their seidr glow to life within them. They feel the familiar sensation of transforming into one of their forms. It is as natural to them as breathing, though most days they use it to change their gender form. They drop to the ground, all scales and muscle. They turn their head to the side and catch sight of their glittering green body. _Perfect_.

They slither carefully past the trees, over the underbrush, slowly making their way to Thor’s feet. Thor is not looking at them; he is watching his friends reunite with their loved ones. Loki doesn’t know what that titan maniac did, but it can’t have been good, the way the humans and other beings alike are clinging to each other like they’ll slip away at any moment. The pain Loki can practically smell off Thor is unbearable; they promised themself after Ragnarok that they would never put that kind of strain on Thor again, at least not for long. They don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s probably been longer than a few days.

They reach Thor at last, and pull themself up as high as they can, before leaning forward and tapping Thor’s ankle with their serpent’s tongue. Thor takes a step back at the feeling, looking down. Loki brings their head back down to the ground, watching Thor the entire time.

“No.” Thor whispers, voice filled with awe and disbelief. Loki hisses softly. Then they turn and slither away a foot or two, before turning around to look back at their brother.

_Real snakes don’t behave this way, you oaf,_ Loki thinks at him.

“Doctor,” Thor says, tearing his eyes from Loki for just a moment to look over at the wizard that had sent Loki falling, falling, at the beginning of this journey. Loki hisses menacingly, but Strange does not look at them. “Can you hold onto the other stones a minute? I want to check on something.” Loki watches Thor drop something into the wizard’s hand has their brother’s eyes return to them, wide with shock.

Confident Thor will follow them now, Loki turns again and slithers off, back to the location where they woke up. They look back periodically, making sure Thor is still following. When they arrive at the clearing, they transform again, so that by the time Thor steps through the trees, they have returned to their Asgardian form.

“Loki,” Thor whispers. He reaches out, but does not move any closer to Loki. “You’re alive.”

“I wasn’t,” Loki responds. For some reason, they need Thor to know they did not fake their death this time; they need him to know they did not let him believe they were dead again. “Thanos killed me. I’ve been dead this whole time, however long it’s been. Something brought me back.”

“I think,” Thor begins, but has to stop and take a shaky breath. “I think I did. I used the gauntlet to bring back the people Thanos took. Loki,” he says again, like everything hinges on Loki’s name.

“You brought me back.” Loki says, trying to wrap their head around that.

“I have wanted to since Thanos dropped your body at my feet,” Thor says, his voice shaking. Loki’s heart breaks at the statement, at how Thor sounds like he’s going to cry any second. Loki cannot stand the distance any longer.

“When I came back, after Ragnarok,” Loki begins, because talking is all they can do. “Before you knew I was really there, you said you would hug me if I was.”

Thor lets out a sob, and Loki has never seen him this broken. “Norns, come here,” Thor says, reaching out again. Loki closes the distance between them, and Thor pulls them into a hug. Thor cups the back of Loki’s head with one hand, and Loki buries their face in his shoulder.

“I don’t know if now is the best time to bring this up,” Thor begins, “But you had exactly three plans, and all of them failed. You usually have at least a dozen plans.”

Loki pulls away, looking at him in surprise. “My plan didn’t fail.”

“But you died. For real.”

“That _was_ the plan.”

“What?”

“Our people were dead. Valkyrie and your gladiator friends were light-years away. Heimdall was killed and the Hulk transported to earth. Thanos had the tesseract. Our best defense, the _universe’s_ best defense, was you. You had to stay alive. Nothing else would have worked.” Loki says.

“Loki--”

“And I was right, wasn’t I? You brought everyone back, the gauntlet looks destroyed, from what I saw of it. Thanos is dead.”

“You _need_ to stop dying for me, staged or otherwise.” Thor says, resting his hand against Loki’s cheek and staring intensely into their eyes. “Do you understand? No more fucking dying. I can’t do it.”

Loki smiles, resting their forehead against Thor’s and bringing a hand up to press to the hand on his face. “I understand. No more fucking dying.”

  
  



End file.
